First English-language edition of Antoni Rehman's memoirs in South Africa
26.11.2025
As part of the promotion of the English edition of Polish traveler Antoni Rehman's account, "A Pole under the Southern Cross: Antoni Rehman's journey through South Africa, 1875-1877," literature enthusiasts gathered in Cape Town on 26 November 2025 to hear a lecture by eminent Polish historian Professor Michał Leśniewski, editor and author of the English translation of the memoirs.
The event was moderated by Professor Howard Phillips, chairman of Historical Publications Southern Africa (HiPSA). A keynote address was delivered by Dr. Piotr Kruze, head of the political and economic department at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria. Professor Leśniewski, a lecturer at the Faculty of History at the University of Warsaw, presented the historical background of the expedition of Antoni Rehman, a Polish geographer, geobotanist, geomorphologist, and explorer, a professor at the University of Lviv, who visited South Africa twice in the second half of the 19th century. During his expeditions, Antoni Rehman explored, among other places, the lands of the Bushmen, Hottentots, and Zulus, and amassed a rich collection of plants.
Dr. Weronika Muller, author of the English translation, read several excerpts from the memoirs.
The event was organized by HiPSA in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria. The book launch attracted numerous literature and history enthusiasts, including HiPSA members, representatives of academia, and the Polish diaspora.
The project to prepare and publish the publication was co-financed by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Photos: Grażyna Koornhof/Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Pretoria
